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George Sigerson
George Sigerson (11 January 1836 - 17 February 1925) was an Irish poet, prose writer, physician, scientist, and politician. He was a leading light in the Irish Literary Revival of the late 19th century in Ireland. Life Youth Sigerson was born at Holy Hill, near Strabane in County Tyrone, the son of William and Nancy (née Neilson) Sigerson. He had had three brothers James, John and William, and three sisters, Ellen, Jane and Mary Ann. He attended Letterkenny Academy but was sent by his father, William, who developed the spade mill and who played an active role in the development of Artigarvan, to complete his education in France. He studied medicine at the Queen's College, Galway and Queen's College, Cork and took his degree in 1859. He then went to Paris where he spent some time studying under Charcot and Duchenne; a fellow-student was Sigmund Freud. Doctor and scientist He returned to Ireland and opened a practice in Dublin, specializing as a neurologist. He continued to visit France annually to study under Charcot. His patients included Maud Gonne, Austin Clarke and Nora Barnacle. He lectured on medicine at the Catholic University of Ireland. He was professor of zoology and later botany at the University College Dublin. Cultural Nationalist While a student he taught himself Irish and made the acquaintance of Charles Kickham and John O'Leary. His first book, The Poets and Poetry of Munster, appeared in 1860. He was actively involved in political journalism for many years, writing for The Nation. He was a co-founder of the Feis Ceoil and President of the National Literary Society from 1893 until his death. His daughter, Dora, was a poet who was also involved in the Irish literary revival. Nominated to the first Senate of the Irish Free State, Sigerson briefly served as the first chairman on 11–12 December 1922 before the election of James Campbell, 1st Baron Glenavy.ELECTION OF TEMPORARY CHAIRMAN, Seanad Éireann - Volume 1 - 11 December 1922, historical-debates.oireachtas.ie; accessed 7 July 2015. Family and death Sigerson died at his home in 3 Clare Street, Dublin, on 17 February 1925, aged 89, after a short illness.Prtofile, newulsterbiography.co.uk; accessed 8 July 2015. He was predeceased by his wife, Hester (née Varian), whom he married at at St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral, Marlborough Street, Dublin, on 1 December 1861 in Dublin. She died in 1898. The couple had four children. One of these, William, predeceased both parents; two others (George Patrick and Dora Maria) would predecease their father. Only one of George and Hester Sigerson's children, Anna Hester, outlived them both.Profile (with dates of birth and death of children), findagrave.com; accessed 8 July 2015. Recognition On 18 February 1925, the day after his death, the Senate paid tribute to him.Seanad Éireann - Volume 4 - 18 February 1925 DEATH OF SENATOR SIGERSON, oireachtas-debates.gov.ie:80/S/0004/S.0004.192502180002.html; accessed 7 July 2015. The Sigerson Cup, the top division of 3rd-level Gaelic Football competition in Ireland, is named in his honour. Sigerson donated the salary from his post at UCD so that a trophy could be purchased for the competition. In 2009, he was named in the Sunday Tribune's list of the "125 Most Influential People In GAA History". The cup was first presented in 1911, with the inaugural winners being UCD. Partial bibliography * The Poets and Poetry of Munster (1860) * Cannabiculture in Ireland; its profit and possibility (1866) * Modern Ireland (1869) * Political prisoners at home and abroad * On the need for village hospitals in Ireland * Celtic influence on the evolution of rimed hymns * The advantages of Ambidexterity * Discovery of fish remains in the alluvial clay of the River Foyle Translated * Bards of the Gael and Gall: Examples of the poetic literature of Erinn; done into English after the metres and modes of the Gael. (1897) Further reading * * McGilloway, K., George Sigerson: Poet, Patriot Scientist and Scholar, Ulster Historical Foundation, 2011 References External links * George Sigerson Papers at Newberry Library * * Category:1836 births Category:1925 deaths Category:Disease-related deaths in Ireland Category:19th-century Irish people Category:Irish poets Category:Irish medical doctors Category:People from County Tyrone Category:Members of the 1922 Seanad